GIVE US HELP FROM TROUBLE, O GOD

PSALM 60

SCRIPTURE READING

Please click PSALM 60

INTRODUCTION

The title of the psalm contains the preface statement, "To the chief Musician upon Shushaneduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aramnaharaim and with Aramzobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand." This is a part of inspired Scripture, it is written in the original Hebrew text.

It is apt to define the various names used:-

(1) Shushaneduth - "Shushan" means "lily" and "eduth" means "testimony" or "code of law" for example testimony of the Ten Commandments on the tables as a solemn divine charge. It is literally translated "Lily of the testimony".

(2) Michtam of David - David's golden (jewel) psalm.

(3) To teach - gives the purpose of the psalm as a form of instruction.

(4) Aramnaharaim - is Mesopotamia, the country between two rivers (Euphrates and Tigri) which is Syria. Nahor, Abraham's brother lived there, and Rebekah, Isaac's wife came from there. The Ammonites bought military help from Aramnaharaim to fight David. Balam, the prophet Balak hired to curse Israel as they entered Moab from the wilderness came from Aramnaharaim.

(5) Aramzobah - This is the alternate name for the Aramaean town and kingdom of Zobah - In the OT, the area covered generally begins NE of Israel, includes Damascus and a large portion of what is now Syria, and extends into the upper Tigris-Euphrates Valley. In patriarchal times, Aram referred more particularly to the Mesopotamian region while during the monarchy it referred more specifically to Damascus and surrounding areas. In the OT words is used frequently in compounds which indicate more precise localities.

(6) Joab is the commander-in-chief of Israel's army.

(7) Valley of Salt- The exact location of the Valley of Salt is disputed. Wadi el-Milh (salt), E of Beer-sheba, which flows by the foot of Tell el-Milh, has been suggested because of the similarity of names. A more likely location is es-Sebkha, S of the Dead Sea, and a barren saline area. A valley in which two important victories of the Israelite armies over the Edomites occurred. The first was when David's army slew 18,000 Edomites (2 Sam 8:13 . KJV says "Syrians." A suggested solution for inclusion of Syria in the battle is that the king of Syria rushed to the aid of Edom and thus both nations were involved in the defeat). 1 Chronicles 18:12 attributes this victory to Abishai and the title of Psalm 60 attributes it to Joab. The other victory occurred two centuries later when Amaziah, king of Judah, slew 10,000 Edomites there, captured and slew another ten thousand, and then took their capital Sela, changing its name to Jokthe-el (2 Kings 14:7 ;2 Chron 25:11 ), thus reversing the independence the Edomites had won upon the death of Jehoshaphat.

(F. B. Huey, Jr. Huey, Jr., F. B. "Salt, Valley of" In The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible Volume 5, Q-Z.)

These passages of Scripture are derived from "A Harmony of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles" by William Day Crockett in 2 Samuel 8:13-14a ,1 Kings 11:15-17 ,[1 Kings 11:14b ], 1 Kings 11:18 and1 Chronicles 18:12-13a which gives the background as stated in the preface of the psalm describing the subjugation of Edom. They provide a contextual background to the psalm.

2 Samuel 8:13-14 "And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men. And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David's servants."

1 Kings 11:15-17 ,[1 Kings 11:14a ], 1 Kings 11:18 . "For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom; (For six months did Joab remain there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom:) That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child.And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran: and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of Egypt; which gave him an house, and appointed him victuals, and gave him land."

1 Chronicles 18:12-13a "Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah slew of the Edomites in the valley of salt eighteen thousand. And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became David's servants."

Below is a map of the locations mentioned in this psalm.

In the thick of battle, there may seem times when the cause is in favour of the enemy, be not dismay! This is the testimony of David. The Lord helped Israel to turn from deep distress to victory in this instance to subdue her enemies Moab, Edom and Philistia.

What are the "wherewithals" to wage a successful Christian warfare in the midst of trials and temptations? There are two - firstly in persistent and importunate prayer casting our problems upon God (v 1-3 ) and secondly to lift up the banner of God's truth in the fear of God (v 4 ). We can do no other. It is only in the humble submission to His word and sovereignty to order our life. The promises of God are yea and amen every time, abiding in God's truth never fails - Proverbs 22:21 "That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?" Banners are identifying flags, used throughout history for the purpose of identifying a group, claim possession of a space or territory and to lend festivity to a celebration. Banners are rallying points, physically and emotionally. In this psalm, it is God who sets up a banner for His people, who ascribe their triumph to God (v 4 ).

Illustration

Jesus countered Satan with words of Scripture to ward off every attack. Though He was physically weary having been fasting for 40 days and night, He was not veered from fulfilling God's plan to win righteousness for us over the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life in that encounter with Satan. The Lord's will is given in His words. It is imperatival that God's people use lives by God's word, warding off every attack of the evil one. Our Lord Jesus gave us the example par excellence.

Israel is described to be in a state of panic in verse 1 ,they appeared to be rejected by God. The displeasure of God toward Israel is experienced by the psalmist. The circumstances seemed to be pointing in that direction. A time of soul-searching is the right thing to do, repentance is apt when we have sinned against God and incurred His wrath.

"The scattered condition of the nation is what he insists upon as the main calamity. In consequence of the dispersion of Saul's forces, the country lay completely exposed to the incursions of enemies; not a man was safe in his own house, and no relief remained but in flight or banishment. He next describes the confusions which reigned by a metaphor, representing the country as opened, or cleft asunder; not that there had been a literal earthquake, but that the kingdom, in its rent and shattered condition, presented that calamitous aspect which generally follows upon an earthquake. The affairs of Saul ceased to prosper from the time that he forsook God; and when he perished at last, he left the nation in a state little short of ruin. The greatest apprehension must have been felt throughout it; it was become the scorn of its enemies, and was ready to submit to any yoke, however degrading, which promised tolerable conditions. Such is the manner in which David intimates that the divine favor had been alienated by Saul, pointing, when he says that God was displeased, at the radical source of all the evils which prevailed; and he prays that the same physician who had broken would heal." (Calvin)

Psalm 60:5 "That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me."

The right hand is the hand of favour. The beloved of God are His children. The entreaty of a child seeking the Father's help will certainly receive a good response. This is the same teaching of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matthew 7:7-11 )

Psalm 60:6 "God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth."

The psalmist rejoiced in the promises of God to defeat Israel's enemies to conquer the whole land. Shechem lay in Samaria, and, therefore, by it the whole of Samaria may be intended. The valley of Succoth, or booths, received its name from Jacob's making booths, and feeding his cattle there (Genesis 33:17-18 ). It lay beyond the Jordan (see map), and it may be employed to designate the whole of that district of country. Shechem in the east, and Succoth in the west. Though Samaria, and the country beyond the Jordan, were now in the hands of the enemy, yet David anticipates the time when he would gain complete and absolute possession of them, which he expresses by dividing, and meting them out. The allusion is to the dividing and measuring out of land; and it was a part of the power of a king to distribute his kingdom into cities and provinces, and to place judges and magistrates over them.

It is interesting to note the areas Israel took in the 6 Day War of 1967 in green below especially the area of the West Bank, the area of ancient Succoth and Shechem. This is the account of this part of Israel's modern history.

"Against this background, in Mid-May, 1967, Egyptian President Gamal Nasser again closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping and dismissed the UN peace force from the Sinai Peninsula. The United States failed to live up to its guarantees of freedom of the waterways to Israel. A torrent of bellicose rhetoric issued from Arab capitals and in the UN. At the UN, PLO Chairman Ahmed Shukhairy announced that "if it will be our privilege to strike the first blow" the PLO would expel from Palestine all Zionists who had arrived after 1917 and eliminate the state of Israel. Nasser said on May 27, "Our basic objective will be the destruction of Israel. The Arab people want to fight." On May 28, he added: "We will not accept any...coexistence with Israel...Today the issue is not the establishment of peace between the Arab states and Israel....The war with Israel is in effect since 1948."

US and Israel assessments were that Israel would win any war handily, despite the huge superiority in armor, aircraft, and troops favoring the combined forces of the Arab countries. On paper, Israel had almost as many aircraft as the Egyptians, but the Israeli aircraft were mostly old, and even the Super-Mirages were no match for the Mig-21 fighters acquired by Egypt from the USSR. On paper, the IDF had a huge number of "tanks." However, while Syrians and Egyptians were equipped with late model Soviet heavy tanks, most of the Israeli "tanks" were in fact tiny French AMX anti-tank vehicles, and the heavy tanks were refurbished WWII Sherman tanks fitted with diesel engines. The Israeli and Jewish public, and some in the government, believed that there was a mortal threat to Israel.

Israel certainly did not want war. Ben Gurion berated Chief of Staff Itzhak Rabin for making aggressive moves that had, according to him, escalated the conflict and gotten Israel into trouble. At first, President Johnson promised an international flotilla, and warned Israel not to attack on its own. However, the US was unable to initiate any international action, and reversed its position, hinting broadly that Israel would have to handle the problem itself.

Israel attacked the Egyptians beginning on June 5, 1967. In the first hours of the war, Israel destroyed over 400 enemy aircraft to achieve total air superiority. Israeli troops quickly conquered the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza. Jordanian artillery began firing at Jerusalem on the first day of the war, and then the Jordan Legion advanced and took over the headquarters of the UN (Governor's house - Armon Hanatziv) in Jerusalem. After warning King Hussein repeatedly to cease fire, Israel conquered the West Bank and Jerusalem. During the first days of the war, Syrian artillery based in the Golan Heights pounded civilian targets in northern Israel. After dealing with Egypt, Israel decided to conquer the Golan heights, despite opposition and doubts of some in the government, including Moshe Dayan, who had been appointed defense minister. Israel agreed to a cease fire on June 11, 1967. UN Resolution 242 called for negotiations of a permanent peace between the parties, and for Israeli withdrawal from lands occupied in 1967. The map below shows the territories in green conquered in 1967."

Psalm 60:7 "Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver."

Gilead, Manasseh Ephraim and Judah belonged to God. Ephraim was the largest tribe and is described as the head, the vital centre of the body in which the very life of the battle depends. Judah is the symbol and instrument of God's rule, out of Judah came our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true lawgiver and ruler of Israel (Genesis 49:8-12 ).

Psalm 60:8 "Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me."

Now the attention is turned to occupying foreign lands. God promised the complete and servile subjection of Moab to David as a wash-pot is used for the washing of legs performed by slaves. The casting of the shoe is another picture of servitude where the master uses his lowest servant to untie, take off, and cleanse his shoes. Philistia will be defeated.

Psalm 60:9-10 "Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom? Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?"

Edom is an impregnable city built upon high towing rocks. The way in is narrow with the defending army in full control from above to defeat any advancing army by superiority of her physical endowment.

Psalm 60:11-12 "Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies."

God's help is the best help, working hand in hand with God, the psalmist described the sweetness of victory. Let us fight the good fight of faith to victory in preaching the gospel and defending the faith, raising the banner the truth!